The following discussion is provided solely to assist the understanding of the reader, and does not constitute an admission that any of the information discussed or references cited constitute prior art to the present invention.
The anthropogenic generation of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is generally recognized as a significant contributing factor in climate warming. As a result, many different approaches have been proposed for reducing such release, with the majority focusing on carbon sequestration and/or recycling.
Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are generally accepted as being a significant fact in climate warming. A major component of such greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). As a result, reducing the release of carbon dioxide has become an important consideration. The present invention address this problem by providing a system for significantly reducing CO2 emissions from gases, especially exhaust gases (e.g., exhaust gases from coal fired power plants). The system involves devices or components which filter the gas stream to remove particulates, converts CO2 to carbon and oxygen and separates out the carbon. The system can also include a filter for removing carbon particles from an electrolyte solution used in the CO2 converter, thereby increasing its useful lifetime.
Thus, a first aspect of the invention concerns a system for cleaning CO2-containing gases and decomposing CO2, where the system includes a fiberbased exhaust gas particle filter and a CO2 decomposition and separation device having gas passage connection with the outlet of the fiber-based exhaust gas particle filter. The CO2 decomposition and separation device utilizes an electrolyte solution in decomposing CO2. Advantageously the system may also include an electrolyte filter which filters carbon particles from the electrolyte.
In particular advantageous embodiments, the fiber-based exhaust gas particle filter is a spiral frame filter; the exhaust gas particle filter is a filter as specified for an embodiment of the spiral frame filter below or otherwise described herein; the electrolyte filter is a declined angle filter, such as specified for an embodiment of electrolyte filter below or otherwise described herein.
A related aspect concerns an exhaust gas filter which is a spiral frame filter in which the filter material is mounted in spiral manner about a central rotational shaft.
In particular embodiments the filter includes a tank having exhaust gas inlet and outlet connections, and having rotatably mounted therein a spiral shaped filter element. The filter element can, for example, include a spiral shaped frame attached to a central shaft with a metal net (or other substantially perforated and preferably substantially rigid support surface (preferably ferrous metal) attached to the spiral shaped frame and substantially spanning the space between the frame and the shaft; a filter panel which includes a fiber mounting disk with a large number of fibers attached to a surface thereof, mounted on the spiral shaped frame and the metal net or other support surface.
In certain cases, the spiral shaped frame is attached to the central shaft with at least one locking collar; the fibers are attached in a large number of fine holes in the fiber mounting disk; the filter frame and/or the metal net or other support are primarily made of ferrous metals; the filter panel is magnetically mounted to the spiral frame and/or the metal net (usually for ferrous metal spiral frames and/or support surfaces).
Also in certain embodiments (especially for ferrous metal spiral frames and/or supports, the filter panel is mounted on the spiral frame and metal net (or other support with a gap adjusting panel attached to the fiber mounting disk with a magnetic sheet attached to the gap adjusting panel; the gap adjusting panel is attached to a magnetic sheet installation which is attached (e.g., glued) to the magnetic sheet.
Further advantageous embodiments include a washer (e.g., a spray washer) which washes particles from said fibers; the washer includes a plurality of washing water nozzles fluidly connected with a wash water supply line.
In still further advantageous embodiments, the filter includes a plurality (e.g., 2, 3, or 4, or at least two filter tanks connected in parallel; parallel connection filter tanks include gas switching valves installed in the exhaust gas inlet connection pipes and exhaust gas outlet connection pipes for the filter tanks to control the flow of the exhaust gas through the tanks (e.g., a valve for the inlet and outlet for each tank or for each parallel tank set, such that the valves can isolate each tank from the other or others, or each set of tanks from another set or sets).
Yet another related invention concerns an electrolyte particle filter which includes an outer body, and a declined, conveyor-mounted fiber particle filter mounted within the outer body.
In particular embodiments, the electrolyte particle filter includes an electrolyte feed pipe which supplies electrolyte at or near the top of the declined, conveyor-mounted particle filter, and an electrolyte return pipe which removes filtered electrolyte after passage over the declined, conveyor-mounted particle filter; the filter includes rotatable conveyor rolls with a conveyer belt bearing a carbon collection fiber filter to collect carbon microparticles from the electrolyte, an may further include a washer which washes carbon particles from the carbon collection fiber filter, creating a carbon particle suspension. Such carbon particle suspension can be past to a carbon particle separation which separates carbon particles from electrolyte solution, e.g., a centrifugal separator which receives the suspension from the carbon collection fiber filter.
Also in particular embodiments, the electrolyte particle filter of also includes an angle adjustor which adjusts the declination angle of the filter (e.g., by adjusting the declination angle of the outer body or the declination angle of the conveyor rolls and conveyor mounted filter.
Additional embodiments will be apparent from the Detailed Description and from the claims.